Weakened Heat
by Caskettforever1055
Summary: What happens when one of them is destine to die? Rated M for eventual romance.


**Chapter 1: The Case from Hell**

Everything was normal. At least it was through the eyes of the three detectives and the writer-tag along. They were unaware of the hell they were about to experience.

"Morning Castle," The breathtakingly beautiful detective said.

Her name is Detective Katherine Beckett, also known as Kate. She is wearing chestnut curls that morning, as opposed to her normal straight hair. Her eyes are a medium shade of green. Her body is breath taking and her legs were long and lean, with an hour-glass shape body.

"Why detective Katherine Beckett, what could be so wrong on this fine morning?" Richard Castle, the writer-tag along, replied in a happier tone.

Richard Castle is a very tall man, who has dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. He is the famous writer who was known for his playboy actions and amazing charm. He uses his charm to get through life.

"Um, a dead body might be a clue," Beckett teased, which earned her a witty remark back from Castle.

"Well when you called I thought I detected some need to see me."

With that said he got the eye-roll the detective was famous for.

One of the other detectives, detective Javier Esposito was very strong. His bulging muscles and Hispanic look, just added to his personality and charm. The ladies love him, and he isn't afraid to use it. His partner, Kevin Ryan, is the third detective in the mix. Ryan has that dirty-blonde hair with the deep blue eyes. He is the funny and sweet Irishman. Both of them were very protective of their female partner.

"You know, with that shade of red on your face, detective, I think Castle just might be right." Esposito teased.

"Focus guys, crime scene, okay?"

Esposito knew the tone in his partners voice was saying to cool it, and without a word he does. Detective Kevin Ryan on the other hand, didn't receive the tone quite like his partner does.

"So you're just going to blow it off huh?"

The slightly smarter detective Esposito does his friend a favor and slaps him across the shoulder, hard. At this Beckett smiles, hiding a laugh she was so close to laughing.

"Hey Lanie, how's it going?" Beckett says to her favorite ME and best friend.

Lanie Parish was the Spanish bomb-shell with a fire in her eyes and a fiery temper to match. She flaunted what she had because she knew she had it. Her and detective Esposito had something going on the side, but never revealed that at work.

"Other than the dead body lying in front of me, I'm great. And you?"

"Alright I guess." Beckett replies with a shrug.

This comment does not go unnoticed to the writer. They have been working on homicides together for almost three years now, and this worried him, but before he could comment he saw who the Vic was. It was his college girlfriend, Kyra Blaine. She now had a different last name, last time he saw her she was newly married. He had loved her and always would. He feels the tears well up in his eyes as he remembers the last time he saw her, kissing him goodbye on his cheek after one of her bridesmaids was murdered. He and Beckett had worked that case. He had never trusted Greg, her husband. Beckett automatically goes into her sympathy mode.

"Rick," they had only used each other's first names if it was important, "I'm so sorry."

Castle ignored this plea for a reaction and let the tears fall as he bent down to kiss her goodbye. He didn't believe he couldn't hold her again, or kiss her. At this point he felt a hand on his shoulder, and not just any hand, it was detective Beckett's hand, and he turned to face her and gave her a fake smile. He knew what she was going to say, her exact words played in his mind just before she said them.

"Castle, you know what I'm going to have to do right? Castle, I'm sorry but you are too close to this one, you're going to have to go home."

Those last two words are what stung the most. Beckett could see him flitch as she said them. Trying to keep his spirits up, and that twinkle in his eye that she oh so secretly loves alive, she comforts him by saying the expected.

"I promise you that as soon as we have a lead we will call you okay? Now, Castle, if you could please say your goodbyes and head home. We can't have you running around trying to find her killer like a super cop. You know we can and will find her killer."

Damn, the twinkle still wasn't in his eye. Although she hated to admit it, seeing that twinkle somehow kept her alive. She just love to get lost in that sea of blue that were his eyes, but she saw the pain is his eyes instead of happiness. Finally, without a word Castle kissed Kyra on the cheek and left, he was heading back to his loft to drown out his emotions he has so strongly for the woman who was lying in that dark alley. Beckett was right. He was too close to this one.

Richard Castle slowly let himself into his apartment. It was quiet, too quiet for him at that matter. His beautiful red-haired and blue eyed daughter had left for college the night before and his red-haired mom was in LA doing a role on Broadway. He got himself a beer out and took his laptop out and did what he did best, he wrote about it.

Later that evening, a semi-drunk Richard Castle was calling detective Beckett after he knew she would be at home with her boyfriend Josh, whom he liked to call doctor motorcycle boy. Secretly Castle called him dumb motorcycle boy. When she saw the caller ID Beckett almost didn't pick up the phone. She knew he would ask about Josh and she wasn't in the mood to talk about it at the moment. On the fourth ring she picked it up, feeling bad that he had no one to talk to.

"Hey Castle, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay I guess, but it's a little hard to distract myself being, by myself." Castle answered kind of gloomily.

"Do you need anything?" Beckett regretted those words as soon as she said them, thinking he was going to ask her to come over. As she runs the right side of her lip between her teeth she can hear Castle answer with a little more hope in his voice.

"I wish detective but I wouldn't want to mess up any of your plans with Josh. I just needed to hear someone's voice; to talk to them and your voice always seems to do the trick. And plus he is your boyfriend, not me."

In that last sentence she could clearly hear the anger in his voice. She was struggling to tell the man she loved that she had broken up with Josh earlier that night, but knowing it will lift his spirits some, she tries it.

"Castle, I uh, I broke up with him about a half an hour ago."

"Kate," Beckett was surprised to hear her first name, "I'm so sorry, after that you probably want to be alone. I'm so sorry I bothered you. I'll call you later okay?"

Beckett knew he was right, but she also knew that she needed to see that sparkle in his eye, that always makes things better. Always. In her head she laughed at this. Always. It's what they always said to each other. Always. In the freezer where they almost died, frozen in each other's arms. After he had saved them from a bomb. There were so many times he had saved her life risking his own. He cared more about her than he did himself. If only she could get past that wall that was inside of her and tell him how she really felt. I mean Castle had helped her solve her biggest and hardest case that had cut the deepest. Her mother's case. Johanna Beckett had been murdered twelve years ago, and even before she knew Castle he was helping her. His books got her through her mother's murder, but she could never tell him that. He tried to take the bullet that she had been shot in her chest with almost six months ago. He had solved her mother's case and almost was murdered doing it. How could she not help him when he needed her most? She must have been thinking to long because Castle speaks up and gets her attention.

"Beckett, are you still there?"

"Yeah, yeah Castle I am. Uh Castle if you need me to come over I can. I'm not busy and maybe I could pick some burgers from Remy's, my treat."

Remy's was their favorite place to eat together.

"That would be perfect. Thank you Kate. You have no idea how much this means to me. And you know you don't have to do this."

Kate's heart warmed at his words. After all this time of him helping her, she was finally helping him.

"Always. I'll see you in an hour."

And with that the conversation ended.

Back at his place Castle hears the buzz of his door bell and thinks to himself "That was quick." But as he opens the door all he can look at are the 100 pounds of explosives in front of him, the timer set to go off in 3. 2. 1. BOOM. And just like that it exploded. Castle was flung against his bar in the kitchen and was knocked out instantly. His only hope was just getting out of a cab as his loft exploded.

She immediately dropped the burgers and fries from Remy's and ran straight into the lobby, through the mass of exiting people. Knowing the elevator wouldn't work she has to take the stairs. Taking two stairs at a time she reached his floor in record time. At this point everything was on fire around her. She had noticed that Castle had been targeted for this explosion; she could clearly see that is where the worst damage was done and was sure that when CSU swept the area that is where the blast seed would be found. Still with fear in her heart and tears running down her cheeks she runs into his apartment screaming his name. Through the fire she sees his limp, seemingly lifeless body lying on the floor in front of his bar. She wants to let out a scream but simply rushes over to him looking for a pulse. She finally finds one, although it is weak, she knows that she has to get him out of there and to a hospital. Mustering up all the strength she has, she carries him in her arms and starts down the fifteen flights of stairs staring her down.

"Rick stay with me okay? You have to hold on Rick. Please. You have to wake up! C'mon Rick. Please!"

Rick could hear every word the detective was saying but could only gather the strength to mumble, "Mhmmm."

Hearing this weak noise coming from him she felt a little relieved and held off from jumping up and down in excitement, it was a burning building after all and she needed all the time she could get.

"Rick I need you to listen to me okay? We are on the fifth floor, almost out. Stay with me okay? I'm going to need you to try to say something, a word, anything."

"Kate." That was what he said in a very raspy, smoke filled voice. It was all he could say, and it took all his energy to get that one name out.

Tears are now coming by the gallons and running down her face. He said her name. He does know what's going on! Of all the things he could say, he said her name. They were out of the building now and the paramedics take him away and place him on a stretcher while she screams,

"I'll be right there. Hold on Rick!"

That gave him hope and he tries to move around but can't, he is strapped down to the stretcher. As soon as she sees this she hops in her cop car, turns on her lights and siren and guides the ambulance to the hospital.

She runs into the hospital and finds the paramedics running him down the hallway. Picking up speed, she runs alongside him, his eyes still closed, and grabs his hand. She gives is a squeeze right before he enters his room that has been prepared for his surgery, never wanting to let go. She calls Alexis, Martha, Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie to let them know what happened. Alexis couldn't come out because she is in school and Martha has her acting career and she was under a contract. The rest of them came out to sit with her. They had looked in the waiting room for Beckett but couldn't find her. She is right outside the room Castle is in, just like she had been the entire time. He had flat lined a couple of times and she cried harder each time and did not relax after each flat line. Lanie had finally found her and sat down next to her, trying to comfort her, but to no avail. This time Kate hears the flat line for what seems like hours to her.

With all hope lost, starts to cry harder saying between sobs, "No, no, no! This can't be happening. It's my fault. I should have gotten there sooner and…I could have seen it and called someone and…"

She cuts herself off when she hears a slight cheer coming from the room. Is he alive? As the doctor comes out she stands up and is right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

"The surgery went roughly and he will be in the ICU for a little while. He is on life support at the moment but he should wake up and be released sometime next week. Only two people are allowed to see him at a time. He is in room four sixty two. Good luck, and press the call button on the side of his bed if anything happens."

"I'm going, and I want to be alone, please. Just go home and get some rest and I'll call if anything happens okay?" Beckett asked with her eyes pleading.

They agreed and let her do her thing. They have all learned from that past, not to mess with Beckett.

As she enters his hospital room she gasps. All she can think about is all those wires and breathing masks attached to him. She called the precinct and asked to have off the next three days. The only time she would be leaving his side it to use the restroom. Kate grabs his hand and holds it between her own knowing that this will be a long night. She runs her fingers through his hair and caresses his face. She kisses his hand a few times before noticing an hour went by.

She desperately wants him to wake up tonight so she can rest a little easier so she says in a soft, quiet voice, words of encouragement, "You can fight this Rick. Think about Alexis and Martha. They need you. _I_ need you. You need to pull through with this. You can do it. I know you can. I believe in you."

She strokes his cheek and squeezes his hand. She is so surprised when he returned the squeeze.

"Rick! Oh my God, you can hear me! Oh thank God! Oh Rick!"

She caresses his cheek again. His eyes start to flutter but don't open. "Rick! Oh my God, Rick!" She screams happily as soon as she sees him respond to her.

Still weak, all he could say was her name. "Kate."

"Rick I am so glad you can hear me! I was so worried!"

They both smile, and she wraps her arms around his mid-section, embracing him into a hug.

The door flings open, breaking their hug and a large man with a gun in a ski mask on stomps in yelling, "You were supposed to die Jamison Rook. Leaving Nikki Heat all alone. So you can do this the easy way or the hard way."

With confidence Richard Castle responds "The hard way. And her name is Kate Beckett. And as you can see I won't be leaving her that easily" Although he can't see who he is talking to.

With that the man left the room leaving both of them shaking at their knees. Scared out of his mind he needs comfort, and not just from anyone, from Kate. Castle thinks to himself, "What have I got to lose? I need to know she is here with me before I fall asleep and… oh what the hell, I'll try." He speaks aloud this time, "Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Lay with me? Please. I need to know you're here with me and safe before I will be able to fall asleep. I am so tired. Please."

Wishing he could study her face he was sure she was going to say no, but to his surprise she just says, "Always."

And climbs on to the bed. As she lies on her side, her head resting in his chest she feels his tense body relax and fall to sleep. Soon she does the same. Only a couple of hours had passed and something had shaken her awake. Not just something, it was the pale Richard Castle. His head was moving from side to side, sweat on his brow, shaking uncontrollably. She thought he was having a seizure.

He was crying saying, "No, no, no! Take me instead! Please she has so much more to offer the world! Please let her go! She never saw your face or heard your real voice so she can't tell anyone and plus your goal wasn't to kill her please! I'll do anything! Anything! Just let Kate go!"

"Rick. Rick. Wake up."

Kate was saying soothingly, trying to wake him from the horrible nightmare. He opens his eyes and sees her and without thinking hugs her and squeezes her tight.

Relieved, he says calmly, "You're okay. You're here, with me. He didn't get to you. He let you live. You are alive."

"Rick it is okay; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Okay? Everything is going to be okay." Beckett is trying to make sense of what just happened.

They reluctantly end the embrace and smile at each other. The doctor comes in and tells them that there has been a mix up and that he can leave in an hour. He heads into the bathroom to get changed and thinks about what he would do if Kate was killed because of him. After he finishes getting out of that uncomfortable hospital night gown and walks back to his room.

"Kate. We need to talk. I am going to stop shadowing you for a while, until I am sure this guy isn't following me around anymore. I can't…if anything…look this is my problem and I can't let you get hurt because of it. I'll be fine on my own. The best and finest detective in the city showed me a few moves that I need to know to defend myself. And you will probably be relieved that I'm not going to be shadowing you anymore anyway. Oh, but before I go, here is a little present. It's the last Nikki Heat book. I haven't given it to the publisher yet, but I printed it out so you can read it first." He was rambling.

"Castle, thank you for the book but I'm not sure I want you to go for that long. Odds are he will get to you and kill you and I can't let that happen. Rick, you are my partner and I'm with you all the way, no matter what the risks are. Nothing can stop me from standing by you."

"Kate, please. I couldn't live with myself if something were to…" His voice trailed off, unable to continue.

"Rick I'll be fine. I want you to call me as soon as the door buzzes or you get a strange call. I can be over in 15 minutes. Wait. Where are you going to stay? In the Hamptons?"

"I don't know where I'm going to be, I sold the Hamptons. It had too many memories left in it and so I sold it."

"Then you are going to stay with me." Kate stated.

"No I couldn't not after…" His voice trailed off again, becoming weak, and then he gathered himself and started again on a lighter note. With a smile he added, "I don't think I could trust myself with such a beautiful woman like you alone in an apartment, especially yours. It's too tempting."

She blushed at this and replied, "I'll make sure you behave, and if you don't I can always use my cuffs."

With that sexy remark she left the room with Castle following close behind her, just like a new puppy who loves his new owner.

He entered her apartment first when he saw the guy. The same guy that was in the hospital room. Immediately Castle turns and shoves Beckett outside the door and locks her out.

"RICK LET ME IN! PLEASE. HE WILL KILL YOU!" She screams.

He ignores her, hoping to save her life.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Castle yells angrily.

"I'm here to kill you the hard way, remember." The man says with no emotion in his voice.

"Be my guest. Just do NOT lay a hand on Kate." Castle says coldly.

Beckett shoves her way in the door. Before Castle knows what's happening, the man grabs her and puts a gun to her head.

"No! Kate!"

"If you want me to let her go I am going to have to ask you a few questions and if you answer them incorrectly, something very unpleasant will happen to her understand?"

"Yes." Castle replies nervously. The man ties Kate down to the coffee table in the living room and pulls Castle onto the chair to watch. He gets tied down as well. "So Mr. Castle. Who would you rather be killed, you or detective Beckett?"

"Me."

The man smiles as he rips her jacket off.

"You said that…"

"Oh never mind that! No matter what you say, something will happen. It's a lose-lose situation."

Knowing her shirt will be next, he yells, "No please! Just let her go and just kill me already. That would be far less painful than watching this!"

He didn't want to see her like this. He wanted to be the one to pull her shirt off in a moment of passion, if she let him that is.

"My target is now her. But I will give you one chance to save her." The man unties the detective and brings her across the room with a gun pointed at her chest.

"You have ten seconds. Go."

He couldn't even hear the counting but he was sure that he barely got to the number eight when he broke free of his ropes and jumped in front of the bullet that was meant to hit the detective. Love can make you do stupid things. With a simple "Oh shit." from the man he ran out the door.

Kate saw Rick on the ground. He was shot. He was only shot in the arm and refused to go to the hospital. Kate wrapped his arm in a towel gently.

"You okay?" She asked, wondering why he did that.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, but I almost missed. A second later and it would be you on the ground and not me."

Castle was still in a daze and was unsure of what to say at the moment so Beckett says something first.

"You saved my life you know? It was incredibly stupid, unnecessary, and the most amazing, selfless, and brave thing I have ever seen you do. But you need to get the bullet out, now."

The look of worry was replaced with a smile of contentment upon Richard Castle's face. "You do it. You are so much gentler than those doctors." Beckett could see him flinch as he said 'doctor'.

And so she takes the bullet out and stops the blood coming from his arm. Their eyes meet and they keep their gaze for all of a minute before Kate spoke.

"It's late. We should probably go to bed." Kate said, trying to break the special moment, just like she always does.

After they got changed Rick walked her to her room and was about to leave when to his surprise, she had asked him to stay. With Kate in his arms, Rick slept a deep sleep that night, as well as Kate. They only woke up to the sound of Beckett's cell phone at five in the morning. She grabbed it and the caller ID told her it was Esposito. After she knew Rick was going to be fine, she decided to cancel her 'vacation' and is going back to work on the case.

"Castle? Will you be okay? Esposito needs me at the precinct. You should come."

"No, I'll be fine by myself."

"Fine. But if you set foot outside of even this room I want you to text me or call me. Understood?"

"Understood."

Kate Beckett got up called Esposito back and got ready for work. Hating to leave Castle behind without anyone here to protect him she sat on the bed beside him and begged him to go with her but he refused so she said she would call him every hour.

"So I see you care about my well-being detective."

They were closer than usual. So close that they could feel each other's breath on their faces. As Kate blushed, things quickly got hot. Rick caresses her face and they both leaned in for a kiss. Wanting to deepen the kiss, Rick's tong moved across her lower lip. She automatically allowed him access into her mouth, each of them exploring new territory. Tasting each other with their tongs wrestling in their mouths. They only broke away when holding their breath became impossible. Their eyes locked instantly, both of them trying to catch their breath. It was Rick Castle who finally said that she should go, both of them knowing that if she stayed any longer he wouldn't be able to control himself. She kissed him once more on the lips and said be careful.

In her car she was kicking herself for that last, small kiss.

At the precinct the detective noticed there were three murder boards, one of them entirely filled with suspects, and a blank timeline.

"What the hell?" she asked confused to no one in particular.

"That's why Esposito called. This is a tough one, there are too many suspects. I lost count!" Ryan tried to get a laugh out of her. When it didn't work he continued "We have so many suspects that we needed more room. We could use the help. Hey, where's Castle?"

"Oh no I forgot to call!" She said in a panic. She quickly grabbed her phone and pressed one on her speed dial. It rang four times and she got voice mail. Her heart jumped in her throat as she tried again and finally got an answer.

"Hey before you kill me I was in the bathroom." Rick used that as his opening line in hopes of calming her down.

"It's okay, just as long as you are okay."

"Yeah, hey um Alexis is flying in today. She will be here in a half an hour so can I call you after she leaves at seven? I really miss Alexis. Oh and call me as soon as there is a new lead in the case."

"Alright, but be careful." She gave in, although she was hesitant. "And I will."

"You have my word." The call ended there and she got back to work.

"Did you get the phone records pulled from our Vic?" Beckett asked her colleges.

Esposito filled her in. "Yeah, nothing unusual. We looked in into her credit card payments and receipts and nothing popped. But we did find her husband Greg flying out of the country with a one way ticket to the Bahamas."

"Great, let's bring him in."

"Oh and, we looked in to Greg's financials and found that he had a secret credit card which he used to rent a playroom."

They both just smiled.

Now she was in interrogation. Her favorite part of her job, breaking the murderers then sending them off to jail. She started harsh and always got harsher until she knew it wasn't the guy she was interrogating.

"I thought you loved Kyra, Greg? I guess I was wrong. You couldn't have loved her if you tortured her stabbed her and left her bleeding in an alley to die. So do you have anything to say before I hand you a confession form?"

"No I did not kill me wife!"

"Oh really. Then how come our officers found you fleeing the country with a one way ticket to the Bahamas. Oh and not to mention the play room you were renting for you and your misses."

"This is crazy! I refuse to speak without a lawyer."

"What happened Greg? Did she find out about this play room and confronted you? Things quickly got heated and you stabbed her and ran." Seeing she was getting no reaction out of him she asked him one more question before leaving. "Where were you last night at midnight?"

She has a whole group of people to interview. Eighty-three to be exact. It had taken her all day but she narrowed it down to four people who didn't have alibies. She knew couldn't come up empty on this one, Castle couldn't take it. She needed this case finished and over with. She had just hit the invisible brick wall when Castle called. Her heart picks up speed as she answers it. He wanted her to look into the guy that was trying to kill him, he has a feeling he is the one who murdered Kyra, just to mess with him. But until they had solid evidence there was nothing she could do. She just got another call from Lanie. The news was not good. She had tears in her eyes as she called the next victim. Richard Castle. She asked Ryan and Esposito to go and take care of the body. They agreed because she was not one to cry easily. She wanted to go meet with Rick. He and Alexis were in tears and he rose as soon as he saw the detective come his way. She pulled him into a huge bear hug before sitting down to talk to him in the coffee shop. She told him that Martha had flown into New York to come visit him. She was killed the moment she left airport grounds. As far as he was concerned everyone loved Martha, his mother. He knew who it was, although Beckett wasn't as convinced. She had told him she would be back late that night and that she was going to do as much as she could in one night.

"Don't get burned out over this detective, I have faith in you to solve it, and I don't need it done tonight."

Regardless of his warning she stayed until almost midnight. She had gotten nowhere and her body was telling her to go home. She wanted to walk right into Rick's arms, and look into that deep sea of blue she called his eyes. She was exhausted. As she let herself into her apartment, she was quiet, thinking Castle was asleep. She checked in her bedroom and the guest bedroom he wasn't there; she called his name with no answer. She tried his cell getting worried, she hadn't heard it ring and it went right to voicemail. By now she was in full panic mode. She called Esposito and Ryan to let them know. She wanted to have units searching every building in New York, but she knew that wasn't possible... She needed to find him. That's when her phone rang. It was Castle.

"Castle?" She asked unsure of herself.

"Kate! Oh please help! He has my daughter and me! I have no idea where we are all I know is it is abandoned and still in New York. He made us climb stairs and it seems like at least fifteen floors. I snuck away for a second to call you!"

"Oh Rick don't worry! I'll find you!"

"Kate I…wait no please just…KATE." He let out a scream that went straight through her bones. She had to save him.

She wasn't going to rest until she had him in her arms. She thought for what seemed like hours and she figured it out. He was in the building on the upper west side. It was the only building that was abandoned with more than ten floors. A lot had happened in the last couple of days, but that wasn't going to slow her down. She had to get to Rick. She got in her cop car and went as fast as she could to the warehouse. Alerting her team on the way. Just before she got there she shut her siren off, not wanting to scare the son of a bitch who had Rick and his daughter. God she was calling him by his first name a lot lately. She loaded her gun and went in. She had taken her heels off in the car, so she wouldn't tip off that bastard. She traveled the stair case and went to the top floor. As soon as she stepped foot on the floor she saw Rick and Alexis tied up. They didn't see her which was good so she didn't blow her cover. She makes a plan and comes out in a detective stance, her gun loaded and ready to shoot.

"I thought I was your new target." Kate said boldly.

"No, you were a pawn I was using in the game." With no surprise in his voice and a gun pointed at her.

"Put the gun down and no one gets hurt."

He moves and puts the gun up to Rick's head and says. "You got that wrong detective. You put your gun down and I don't kill Rickie here."

Deciding what to do, she looks at Rick, asking her to let him die with that one shake of the head. She puts the gun down, knowing Castle is more important to her than even her own safety and watching him die would kill the half of her that was still living after her mother's death. She couldn't look at his face, knowing there would be disappointment written all over it.

"Good detective. I know your name, but you don't know mine. How rude of me. My name is well all you need to know is that I am the triple killer." The triple killer takes off his mask revealing himself to all of them.

Since he had moved out in front of Rick, in one swift movement she picked up her gun and shot the son of a bitch in the stomach.

Knowing it was his end he said "You think you caught the person who is playing with you, well you were wrong."

Not knowing what he meant and not caring either she ran over to Castle and freed his lips from the duct tape and untied his hand and feet. Then she went to do the same to Alexis.

"Oh Castle I'm so glad you two are okay." Kate said, embracing him in a hug.

"Ah Kate! My legs!" Rick screamed.

It was then when she noticed he had been tortured, which resulted in the triple killer breaking his legs, and cuts all over his bare chest from a whip. With tears in her eyes she apologetically said, "Oh Rick I'm so sorry I had no idea."

He put his finger to her lips and wiped the tears away. "Kate it isn't you fault. And don't try to tell me it is because I could never blame you for this. This has nothing to do with you."

She smiles and looks at him thankfully. "C'mon, we need to get out of here. I'll carry you.

She carefully picks him up and walks out with Alexis in tow. Alexis gets checked out first and is sent off to her flight, her dad didn't want her in the city anymore. At least until this case was solved. The team just arrived and Esposito took Castle to the Paramedics to get his legs and chest treated. Alexis followed so her vital signs could be checked out. Kate had briefed the mayor over the phone and quickly ran over to Castle. His legs were about to be set back into place and be put in a cast when she came over and moved passed the EMTs. She took a seat at Rick's head. She grabbed his hand and looked at him with a smile. As the EMTs set his left leg back into place he screamed out in pain, his back arching in the air, his head soars back. That broke the detective's heart. While he was being put into the cast, she stroked his hair, calming him down a little and squeezed his hand as they began to set his other leg. He winced but kept his mouth shut looking up at the love of his life. He needed to be brave for her. She could see in his eyes that he wanted a kiss so as soon as the EMTs left the ambulance and put him in a wheelchair she gave him a little peck on the cheek and smiled as she saw him melt back into the chair. With Alexis on her way to the airport there was one thing left to do.

"Come on Castle, let's go home." Kate said with a smile on her face.

They were going to her apartment. Home. The case was going to be looked at with fresh eyes tomorrow. They could have peace and quiet. They could be alone. Or so they thought. They had no idea how big this really was, or how much they wanted Rick to suffer.


End file.
